> For the complete user guide index, see [llms.txt](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/llms.txt).

# Create and use an Easel skill

[Canonical page](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/easel/skills/)

## Applicability

- **Task:** Create and use a reusable Easel procedure
- **Access:** Portrait account; usage and data entitlements vary
- **Audience:** Portrait users working with Easel
- **Surfaces:** web
- **Availability:** Production with account and surface-specific limits
- **Content type:** how-to
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-10-08

A **skill** is a reusable written procedure for Easel, such as an earnings-call summary structure, a new-company checklist, or a weekly-note format. Invoke a skill explicitly with **/** when it must govern a request.

Skills live in the **Skills** tab of [My Library](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/documents/my-library/). Managing skills there does not require full Easel access. To apply one, your account must have an available Easel session. Skills and their supporting notes and files have no company tagging; name the research companies in the request.

## Write a skill

1. Open **My Library → Skills** in the web app.
2. Choose one creation route:

	- **New → Skill** — write the procedure directly in Portrait, using the note editor.
	- **Import skills** — add one or more existing Markdown or text files.

3. Give the skill one job, explicit steps, source rules, and an expected output.
4. Confirm that the saved procedure appears in the **Skills** tab.

Add supporting files and subfolders inside an existing skill.

A skill is stored as a package: its entry point is the latest `SKILL.md` directly inside the skill's folder. Supporting files belong inside that package. Keep the entry-point name and location intact when organizing the files; a folder without a valid entry point cannot be applied as a skill.

You can also ask Easel to draft a skill. Review the draft before saving or using it; generated instructions can omit a constraint or change your intended process.

## Writing a good skill

Write the procedure for a reader who has no unstated knowledge of your process.

* Say what the output should contain and in what order, not just the topic.
* Name the sources to check and the ones to ignore.
* Include the judgment calls: what counts as material, what to flag, what to leave out.
* Keep one skill to one job. Several focused skills beat one long document.

## Using a skill

Enter **/** in the Easel composer, or choose **Use a skill** from its **+** menu, select the intended skill, and confirm that its skill reference appears in the request before sending. On accounts with Scheduled Research or Mosaic, the composers that start a new scheduled task or a new Mosaic offer the same **+** menu; the skill applies to the Easel conversation that composer opens.

The selected name must match exactly. A reference such as `/quarterly-recap` selects the direct package `/skills/quarterly-recap/SKILL.md`; names containing spaces are quoted by the composer. This is a My Library reference, not a path on the agent's local filesystem. A legacy `/name.md` reference selects that direct Markdown document under `/skills`, rather than a package folder.

Easel reads the latest original entry-point content. When changing a skill, edit its existing entry point and save a new version; keep supporting-file references relative to the package. Verify the changed procedure with a new sample request before relying on it.

## Verify the skill

Run it on a low-risk sample request. Compare the output with the procedure and revise any ambiguous step, missing source rule, or unsupported output requirement.

## If a skill is not applied

- Select it explicitly with **/** rather than relying on automatic selection.
- Confirm that the skill is saved in the **Skills** tab and is available to the current account.
- Confirm that its package is a direct child of the Skills root and contains a direct, latest `SKILL.md`. Do not move the entry point into a supporting subfolder or expect a similarly named file to replace it.
- If the original entry point is missing, still being prepared, or malformed, repair or restore the intended file before invoking the skill again. Do not let the agent guess a replacement procedure.
- Split a long or multi-purpose skill into one procedure per job.

When a referenced skill cannot be loaded, Easel does not start the request. Your draft, including the skill reference, returns to the composer, and the message states the cause:

| The message says | What to do |
|---|---|
| It couldn't find that skill | Choose another skill with **/**, or remove the reference |
| The skill has no readable `SKILL.md` content, or more than one current `SKILL.md` | Open the skill in My Library and fix its entry point |
| The skill is too long, or the request asks for more skills or skill text than one message can carry | Shorten the `SKILL.md`, or reference fewer skills |
| It couldn't read the skill reference | Select the skill again from the **/** menu |
| It couldn't load the skill completely | Send again, for example once a newly imported skill has finished processing, or remove the reference. Retrying unchanged does not fix the other causes |

### Up next

[Save and export Easel work](https://portraitresearch.com/documentation/easel/export-and-save/)

Copy a response, export supported work, and verify the result.